To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed the entire object, paste this HTML in websiteTo link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed this page, paste this HTML in website

EFFECTIVENESS OF A HEART PLUS BRAIN HEALTH-FOCUSED NUTRITION
INTERVENTION AMONG LATINAS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF
BUENOS HÁBITOS ALIMENTICIOS PARA UNA BUENA SALUD
(GOOD EATING HABITS FOR GOOD HEALTH)
by
Poorni G. Otilingam
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
(PSYCHOLOGY)
December 2010
Copyright 2010 Poorni G. Otilingam

This study assessed the effectiveness of a nutrition intervention that emphasized the connection between heart health and brain health among Latinas. Public health researchers and practitioners have noted the rise in the number of Latinos being diagnosed with diseases involving the cardiovascular system and with risk factors that might portend future vascular disease. Vascular risk factors are important modifiable conditions for both vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. As diets high in saturated fatty acids contribute to vascular risk, change in diet could lower risk for vascular disease and dementia. A randomized controlled study with four conditions was conducted: two intervention conditions (nutrition workshops that emphasized heart health and brain health, or “heart plus brain”, and workshops that emphasized heart health, or “heart only”) and two wait list conditions (“pretest-posttest” and “posttest only”). Intervention conditions and the first wait list condition were assessed at pretest, posttest, and one-month follow-up. The heart plus brain condition received materials that emphasized the importance of vascular health in reducing dementia risk as well as information about the relationship of nutrition to heart health.The heart only condition received identical material about the relationship of nutrition to heart health; the relevance of vascular health to dementia was not introduced. The objective was to assess whether the two intervention conditions demonstrated improvements relative to the pretest-posttest wait list condition, and whether the heart plus brain condition demonstrated greater improvements in dietary fat outcomes compared to the heart only condition. The culturally-tailored curriculum developed for this study drew on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and materials now in use by health educators.; A convenience sample of 100 Latinas were randomly assigned to condition, with 82 in the three repeated time conditions. Attrition for these three conditions was 10%. There was significant improvement in self-reported total fat and fat avoidance behaviors from pretest to follow-up in both of the intervention conditions compared to the pretest-posttest condition. There were not significant effects for dietary fat knowledge or dietary fat intentions. The completers analysis was corroborated with findings from an intent-to-treat analysis. The heart plus brain condition had significantly higher levels of perceived susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease at posttest compared to the heart only condition. However, there was no indication of greater gains for a heart plus brain intervention compared to a heart only intervention. Greater self vascular risk moderated greater dietary fat knowledge from pretest to follow-up for both intervention conditions compared to the pretest-posttest condition. Unexpectedly, the presence of young children living at home was significantly related to greater improvement in self-reported fat avoidance behaviors from pretest to posttest and pretest to follow-up. These results suggest that a culturally-tailored nutrition intervention can modestly improve self-reported total fat and fat avoidance behaviors, but that the addition of a brain health component may not increase effectiveness.

EFFECTIVENESS OF A HEART PLUS BRAIN HEALTH-FOCUSED NUTRITION
INTERVENTION AMONG LATINAS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF
BUENOS HÁBITOS ALIMENTICIOS PARA UNA BUENA SALUD
(GOOD EATING HABITS FOR GOOD HEALTH)
by
Poorni G. Otilingam
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
(PSYCHOLOGY)
December 2010
Copyright 2010 Poorni G. Otilingam